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Foamy virus budding and release

Sylvia Hütter1, Irena Zurnic, Dirk Lindemann

  • 1Institute of Virology, Medical Faculty Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden, Fetscherstr. 74, Dresden 01307, Germany. Sylvia.huetter@mailbox.tu-dresden.de

Viruses
|April 12, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Foamy viruses (FVs) spread via cell budding, utilizing shared retroviral mechanisms and unique spumaretroviral strategies. Understanding FV capsid protein interactions is key for developing novel gene transfer systems.

Area of Science:

  • Virology
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

Background:

  • Foamy viruses (FVs) are retroviruses essential for host spread via functional particle egress.
  • FV budding shares mechanisms with other retroviruses, involving capsid protein interaction with cellular vacuolar protein sorting (Vps) machinery.
  • Unique FV budding strategies include secretion of non-infectious subviral particles and dependence on capsid-glycoprotein interaction for infectious virion release.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To review current knowledge on foamy virus (FV) budding mechanisms.
  • To identify viral components and domains critical for FV particle release.
  • To explore alternative and artificial methods for promoting FV particle structure budding.

Main Methods:

  • Review of existing literature on foamy virus (FV) biology and retroviral budding processes.
  • Analysis of viral components, including capsid proteins and glycoproteins, and their functional domains.
  • Examination of experimental systems manipulating FV budding, such as heterologous membrane-targeting signals and Env proteins.

Main Results:

  • FV budding involves conserved retroviral pathways and unique spumaretroviral features.
  • Capsid-glycoprotein interaction is crucial for infectious FV virion release.
  • FV capsid proteins lack intrinsic membrane-targeting signals, preventing virus-like particle release.
  • Experimental manipulation can bypass the need for capsid-glycoprotein interaction, enabling glycoprotein-independent egress.

Conclusions:

  • Foamy virus (FV) budding is a complex process with both shared and unique retroviral characteristics.
  • Understanding FV budding mechanisms is vital for manipulating FV particle release.
  • Alternative strategies can facilitate FV particle budding, with implications for FV-based gene transfer systems and target tissue tropism modification.

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